Thomas Siems is Chief Economist at the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) in Washington, DC. Thomas joined CSBS in 2019 after serving nearly 34 years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and 20+ years teaching students at Southern Methodist University. Siems earned a BSE in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan and MS and PhD degrees in operations research from Southern Methodist University. Dr. Siems is also a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado and has published more than 75 articles in academic, Federal Reserve, and referred journals. He delivered a 2015 TEDxSMU Talk, “The Wealth of Innovations,” and has authored five children’s picture books, including The Dangerous Pet, which poetically helps readers understand the dangers of debt.